Wednesday, March 11th, 7:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: Ford Center (19,599) -- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Television: Big 12 Network. Home Record: Iowa St. 13-6, Oklahoma St. 14-2. Away Record: Iowa St. 2-10, Oklahoma St. 4-6. Neutral Record: Iowa St. 0-0, Oklahoma St. 2-2. Conference Record: Iowa St. 4-12, Oklahoma St. 9-7. Series Record: Oklahoma State leads, 58-52.

GAME NOTES: The seventh-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys and the 10th-seeded Iowa State Cyclones are set to do battle in the 2009 Big 12 Conference Tournament's opening round. Second-seeded Oklahoma awaits the winner of this clash for a quarterfinal-round matchup on Thursday. Only four Big 12 schools have ever won the conference tournament, and both of the teams in this bout are among the select group. The Cowboys have captured two titles, the most recent of which was earned in 2005. As for Iowa State, its lone championship came back in 2000, but the squad is just 7-11 in Big 12 tourney games all-time. As for this season, the Cyclones are a game under .500 overall at 15-16, but eight games under .500 in league play. On a positive note, the club split its final four regular season games. Oklahoma State is 20-10 overall, and the club finished in a four-way tie for fourth place in the league standings with a 9-7 mark. Unfortunately, the club did not fare well in tie-breakers and has been relegated to the seventh seed. The Cowboys own a 58-52 series advantage over Iowa State, which includes a 2-1 edge over the Cyclones in Big 12 Tournament play.

Craig Brackins has led Iowa State in scoring and rebounding in 13 consecutive outings, and it is hard to find another player nationally who means more to his team. He is averaging 20.1 ppg and 9.4 rpg, numbers that are even more impressive in Big 12 games alone (21.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg). Unfortunately, Brackins doesn't get much help from a rather weak supporting cast, as there isn't another double-digit scorer on the roster. Iowa State ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring offense at 64.9 ppg, but the club is second in scoring defense, yielding 65.1 ppg. The Cyclones are last in steals and last in turnover margin as well.

There are four double-digit scorers in the Oklahoma State lineup, and James Anderson leads the way with 18.9 ppg, and he is a 42.7 percent shooter from three-point range. Byron Eaton adds 14.5 ppg, and he has dished out 166 assists to go along with 63 steals. Terrel Harris brings 14.2 ppg to the floor, and Obi Muonelo rounds out the foursome with 12.5 ppg and 7.2 rpg. The Cowboys are the top scoring team in the Big 12, as they are racking up 82.2 ppg. Unfortunately, they are next-to-last in scoring defense, giving up 74.8 ppg. If tonight's game is close, OSU has to feel good about the fact that it leads the conference in free-throw shooting. Also worthy of mention is that the Cowboys are tops in three-point shooting.

Let's go with Oklahoma State in this clash, as Brackins will not get enough help to keep the Cyclones close. The Cowboys will jump out to an early lead and never look back.

Predicted Outcome

Oklahoma State 84, Iowa State 68